Earrings and similar jewelry (hereinafter referred to as “earrings” regardless of where the item is worn on the body) may be classed into different types based on how they are attached to the ear or other part of the body. One class of earrings, referred to as “stud earrings”, is attached through the ear with a post. The post itself also is referred to as a “stud”. Stud earrings are a very common type of earring with a post that penetrates through the ear or other body portion. Stud earrings include an ornamental component attached to the post, typically on the front of the ear (e.g., earlobe) when the stud earring is attached to an ear. Once the post is in place through the body part, a small push-on backer engages with the post, often in a friction fit, to hold the earring in place. A “butterfly” or “butterfly-style” or “butterfly-type” backer, which has two loops extending out from the back of a generally planar plate, is a typical type of backer.
Greater holding force is desirable for expensive and/or heavier earrings so they do not readily fall off. In the case of friction-style backers, larger diameter posts and/or backers are used to provide more resistance or holding force. Another type of push-on backer style that can provide more holding force is a locking backer. A locking backer is similar to a basic push-on design, but the backer snaps into groove(s) in the post. This is one type of snap fit engagement that provides a strong gripping force to retain the backer on the post. Locking backers and associated posts are common with starter stud earrings that are used during an initial piercing. An example of an earring with a locking backer is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,642.
Typically, an ear is initially pierced with a piercing device often referred to as a “stud gun.” These devices provide a large amount of force to rapidly propel the stud through the body part being pierced and connect the stud to the backer in a “gun firing” type action, so that the piercing is quick and relatively painless. Starter stud earrings are intended to remain in the ear for several weeks to be sure the pierced hole does not close (heal shut). A locking backer is often used for starter studs to help ensure the earring does not inadvertently come off. This is particularly a concern for active people and younger children.
The removal of earrings with push-on type backers (locking or standard friction types) is generally done by grabbing the backer with one hand, grabbing the ornamental side with the other hand, and pulling the two apart. For some persons, the removal of stud earrings with push-on or locking backers is extremely challenging, resulting in lengthy times for removal. Push-on backers can require a significant amount of force to remove. The user must pull hard to overcome both the initial static friction and then the dynamic friction to separate the two components. The initial separation force is even higher for locking backers by design (they provide more holding force), where the backer must be pulled from the locking groove(s). A person or child may not have enough finger strength to accomplish this. Removal also may be uncomfortable or even painful.
The ability of a wearer themselves or for another person to remove the backer may be more difficult than desired for several reasons. The relatively large size of any finger and hand, even those of children, compared with the backer size, makes gripping the backer and even some ornamental components difficult. Although the ornamental part can be large enough in some cases for a person to easily grab with their fingers, the backer size is fairly consistent and very small in comparison to a finger. This makes it extremely difficult to grab on to the backer with enough holding power to allow easy separation. Sometimes, a person will attempt to slip their fingernails underneath the plate part of the backer to provide more leverage during separation. In all this, the fingers or fingernails and the pulling action tend to squeeze the earlobe as the person tries to grab more of the earring components. This can be uncomfortable or even painful, especially for a person with a starter stud because the ear tends to be tender from the initial piercing. The problem is further compounded by the fact that the initial separation force may be very high due to the high initial static friction. For example, the backer may not be seated properly (e.g., misaligned) on the post, increasing the friction therebetween. In the case of locking backers, the action of having to get the backer out of the post groove adds to the removal challenge. As a result, the fingers can easily slip during a separation attempt and further irritate the ear.
The backer is typically positioned behind the ear, which makes it difficult to see, particularly when the fingers reach into this small space and further obstruct the view of the backer. Also, a person may have long fingernails, which makes gripping either part of the earring (backer and/or ornamental part) difficult. Another issue that makes earring removal difficult is losing a grip on the backer during separation because the backer is so small and difficult to hold on to during separation. As a result, the backer can fall and, because of its small size, can be difficult to then find. Finally, because of the limited room to gain leverage under the backer, the applied separation forces by the fingers also tend to be highly off axis or not coaxial. So, when the separation does happen, the post may shift sideways after the release from the backer, putting a side load on the earlobe causing further irritation or soreness.
These and other difficulties can make detaching an earring cumbersome, slow, and result in soreness of the earlobe, particularly for wearers of starter stud earrings whose earlobes are already tender from the initial piercing. Therefore, in light of these challenges, it is desirable to have a device that can provide easy separation of friction and locking backer based stud earrings.
One commercially available device intended to make attachment and removal easier is associated with the trade designation “Little Fingers.” This device is a simple post with different features on each end. The first end is a straight fork tip for interfacing with a butterfly or loop type backer, and the other end is a fork with dimples to interface with and hold an “earnut” type backer. When removing an earring with this device, the user must still use two hands, their fingers must be used to directly pull on the ornamental end of the earring, and the separation motion is not controlled resulting in jerking, yanking, and/or tugging, possibly making the removal uncomfortable. The “Little Fingers” device also does not provide a means to adequately hold the backer once removed.
A home-made device for earring removal is described on the Instructables.com web site (http://www.instructables.com/id/Earring-removal/). This device is made from a bolt, a common wing nut, and two common staples. A hole is drilled through each flange of the wing nut. One staple is attached through each hole to make hooks that slip into the loops of a butterfly backer. A bolt is then threaded into the wing nut. As the bolt is threaded through the wing nut, the end of the bolt presses against the tip of the post and pushes the post back down through the backer, which is being held in place by the hooks (staples) connected to the wing nut. The drawbacks to this device are numerous. The device is aesthetically not appealing. The components are made of industrial hardware, they are relatively heavy, and have sharp edges. The device is large, which makes it difficult to access the space behind the ear. The device requires two hands to be used in close proximity to the earlobe and earring. The device requires two hands to provide a turning motion of the bolt relative to the wing nut. If the user does not carefully control this turning motion, the user will twist the earlobe, which could cause pain and soreness. If the user stops turning the bolt, the device does not necessarily disengage from the earring. This device therefore does not either provide an easy or a safe way to remove an earring.
Therefore, in light of these prior art examples, an aesthetically appealing and simple device is needed that allows easy interfacing with an earring and controlled removal of an earring with only one hand.